A Chance
by warnings of danger
Summary: All their friends think that Sora and Matt should go out. When a school dance rolls around, will a joke and a misunderstanding break them apart? Will they even give each other a chance to explain? Some minor stories on the side but mostly Sorato.
1. Pillows, Laughter, and Blushing

Chapter 1 – Pillows and Laughter

Disclaimer -- Digimon is a product of someone else's imagination. not mine.

(A/N: Narration varies from characters to 3rd person perspective.)

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Sora -

Just another day, I suppose. The Digidestined (retired Digidestined, I should say, since the world didn't seem to need saving anymore) were all going to meet at Tai and Kari's house, and Mimi was helping me decide what to wear.

"Everyone knows, Sora..." she said.

"What! Did you tell them?" I responded quickly. A little too quickly; I didn't want to seem like I cared too much.

Mimi scoffed. "I didn't say a word – it's just so obvious."

"Maybe I should just tell him." I sighed.

"That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you this whole time!" answered Mimi. "Everyone except you and him realizes it… and wear the white one."

I sighed, taking a white shirt out of my closet, and plopped down on my bed.

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(Omniscient Narrator) -

Meanwhile, at Tai's house, Tai and TK tried to persuade Matt to ask Sora out on a date.

"Ask her out already!" Tai said. "Dude, I didn't break up with her for nothing!"

Matt protested, "No way, it'll just mess things up between us…"

"Look, when I asked her out, we broke up, and we're still friends, right?" Tai replied.

"It's just not the same…" insisted Matt.

"Don't be such a coward, Matt," TK interjected. "Plus, this way your fan-girls might finally leave you alone."

_I wish,_ Matt thought. "Hah! Fat chance. Anyway, Tai, you're better off shopping with Mimi than giving me advice," he said.

TK laughed at the prospect, picturing Tai following Mimi around, laden with shopping bags. "Yeah, maybe she can give you some fashion tips."

Tai narrowed his eyes at TK. "Whose side are you on anyway?" he said. To Matt, he replied, "Anyway, Mimi's so obsessed with you and Sora. Ever since she came back from America it's all she can talk about. Which is why you have to make your move soon, Ishida, before I kill poor little Meems."

"C'mon Matt." TK teased."You know Tai _can _be a little reckless when he's annoyed. Do you really want to be the reason that we lose our pinkest friend?"

Matt sighed. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult for me?" he said. "Sora's my best friend."

"Aww, I thought I was your best friend." Tai said jokingly.

Matt shoved Tai and laughed. "Other than you, Tai," he said in a sweet falsetto.

"...Anyway…" Tai continued. "Everybody knows you like each other, all right? As I said before – she and I didn't break up for no reason. Remember last Christmas when she was going to give you that present and tried to hide it from me when I saw her before the concert?"

Matt, remembering the tale, gazed off wonderingly."Oh yeah, that tasted good…" he said. Snapping out of his daydream, he added, "Well that doesn't mean anything! We're FRIENDS, remember?"

"Well, that wasn't the only thing…" Tai said. "And you know you like her too!"

"Yeah, like when the Digimon attacked at the concert, you went straight to Sora to make sure she was okay…even Jun knew that." TK added.

Tai made a face. "Ugh…Jun."

"Whatever," Matt scoffed. "I'll think about it."

"Tell her today!" Tai urged.

The doorbell rang, signifying the arrival of some of the other Digidestined.

"That must be the rest of them right now!" said Tai. "I'll go get Kari from her room."

Before he could leave, Sora, Mimi, Izzy and Kari all entered the room, chatting animatedly and making a general racket.

"Oh, did they all get here?" Kari asked as she wandered in.

"Who else can make so much noise?" said Tai.

"Hi Kari." TK said. He paused, then realized that everyone was looking at him strangely. "Oh! Hi Sora, Mimi, Izzy." He chuckled nervously while everyone else in the room laughed.

Kari giggled. "You silly." Her cheeks affected a slight pinkish tint.

"Hey, where's Joe?" asked Mimi.

Kari, glad for a change of subject, answered, "He has that biophysics thing today, right?"

"Why're YOU so curious about Joe all of a sudden, Mimi? Hmm…" said Tai jokingly.

Mimi rolled her eyes at him. "Just wondering," she said, as Izzy looked away from her and glanced around distractedly.

"Umm…Yeah. I guess Yolei, Ken, Cody, and Davis couldn't make it?" Tai asked.

Sora spoke for the rest of them (who seem a bit embarrassed for some reason or the other). "Ken and Yolei are off on a DATE, I think, Cody's got Kendo, and Davis…eh, who knows?"

Suddenly, Matt said, "Hey, Sora."

Everyone looked over. Weren't greetings already over?

Sora now blushed as well. "Hi, Matt," she answered a little too loudly, as Tai and TK snickered in the background.

The Digidestined continued their conversation (which gradually grew less and less awkward), but Mimi and Izzy remained quiet (and thus also rather awkward). Every once in a while Mimi would glance over at Izzy. Whenever he began to turn his head, she would look away and revert her attention to Tai. Izzy would look at Mimi and see her looking at Tai but would turn his head away when Mimi glanced as him. This went on for a while.. Kari noticed and felt embarrassed just watching the interaction.

"So…why'd you gather us anyway, Tai?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, just for fun." Tai snickered and glanced at Matt and Sora.

Mimi, suddenly alerted, says, "What! You said it was mega urgent!"

"Well…uh…you know – we all just haven't talked to each other in a while," Tai said nervously. "Just thought we could catch up and get some things out in the open... and.. you know, stuff."

Mimi sighed in annoyance but seemed satisfied with this answer. "Whatever," she said.

"Any volunteers?" Tai asked.

Tai looked around. Kari and TK were playing rock-paper-scissors, Mimi was showing her new skirt to Sora, Matt was kicked back on the bed while tugging playfully at Sora's hair, Izzy tapped his laptop quietly, and Tai watched them all impatiently. A classic Digidestined moment.

"Fine, I'll go," Tai said, capturing everyone's attention. "I'd just like to say that Mimi - you need to stop obsessing about 'you-know-who' because you're driving me crazy."

"Ugh!" Mimi laughed and slapped Tai's arm lightly.

Tai smiled. "You're awesome, Mimi, and you know I love you, but you've got to trust things to come out by themselves. Which they will soon," he said loudly so that Matt would hear. (Matt, evidently having heard Tai, cringed at his words).

"Aww…you love me?" Mimi smiled and hugged Tai.

Matt, seeing Izzy's face, interrupted. "As a FRIEND, right?"

Tai blushed. "Yeah, of course," he said.

Mimi, also blushing, said, "Well I know THAT, stupid…" Nobody noticed as Izzy exhaled a little sigh.

"Yeah, um…okay," Tai said. The look on his face suggested that maybe he did like Mimi as more than a friend. Of course, the Digidestined are all too preoccupied with their own problems to notice this either. "Uh huh…your turn, Mimi."

"Well, I guess you're right about THEM, Tai."Mimi answered. "I should stop bugging them. And I must say Tai – I love you too!" She smiled. Looking around, she added exasperatedly, "as a friend. Honestly, guys, isn't that a given?"

"My turn." Matt said."Okay, I wanted to say…although I do hate it when people try to meddle with my life, TK should totally ask Kari out."

TK and Kari both having been listening amusedly to the conversation, were startled. "What?" they said nearly in unison.

"Tell your brother to shut up," Kari said to TK.

TK, smiling at Matt, said, "Shut up."

"Just saying…" Matt defended. He looked around room for the confirmation of the others. "Don't you all agree?"

The others nodded and laughed - except Tai (who was in overprotective brother mode) "You think so, Matt!" he said. "Well too bad, Kari's too young. In fact, I think I'll lock her in a closet until she grows up. No…" he pondered for a bit. "Maybe a bit longer than that…"

"Tai!" Kari exclaimed.

"Just kidding!" said Tai. He laughed. "Anyway…Isn't there SOMETHING ELSE you'd like to say, Matt?"

"No, I'm fine," Matt answered.

Tai, who had been expecting Matt to ask Sora out, was indignant in his own disappointment. He shot a jokingly-scathing look at Matt, as if to say "I cannot believe you..."

"Okay, Sora, your turn!" said Mimi eagerly. [If at first you cannot succeed, try the other person!

"Yeah, you know, you guys are awesome and Matt especially, for coming to all of my tennis matches," Sora began.

"Go on..." said Mimi.

"And I just wanted to give you this…" Sora approached Matt while everyone wondered what she was going to do... when suddenly she hit Matt on the head with a big fluffy pillow! Matt yelled and tried to get away from the attack, flinging another pillow back at her. In the classic way that pillow and food fights begin, it missed and hit Tai square on the forehead.

"Sora…" Mimi said in the midst of the confusion. She was equally as disappointed as Tai that Sora had not admitted her feelings for Matt. She was about to try to "talk some sense" into Sora when someone hit her with a pillow. She turned around and gasped. "Who was that?" she demanded. Since everyone was already deeply engaged in the pillow fight, nobody answered, and she obliged to hit each and every one of her friends with a large stuffed animal.

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Sora ----

Half an hour later after our little pillow fight started, everyone was exhausted and lying on the floor. Jackets and sweatshirts were strewn all over Tai's bed and I saw my scarf dangling off the side of his dresser. As the first to get up after the fight, I had the privilege to see everyone in their tired, perspiring conditions. TK and Kari were over in their own little corner, fanning themselves tiredly. Tai was watching them from his "perch" on the bed. After years of soccer, he didn't tire out easily, I guessed. I could see Mimi had her head on Izzy's shoulder, but she was gazing dreamily at Tai. Izzy had actually put up quite a fight during our pillow struggle, protecting Mimi from attack. It was kind of sad, because everyone could see that Izzy was trying to get Mimi's attention, while she was trying to get Tai's. I could see why she liked Tai. He was… that athletic sweetheart who would do anything to protect his friends and family. We went out for a while last year, but it didn't really work out. At first it seemed like we were meant to be, but he broke up with me when he thought I liked Matt.

Matt – The popular rock-star-lead-singer guy that I'd been friends with since we first went to the digital world. Sure, at first he seemed like an all-that hotshot but after I got to know him…he wasn't so bad. Still, until Tai broke up with me, I kept denying that I'd ever really liked Matt. It was just a big shock and a major wake up call back into the real world. I had spent the majority of the year living in a fantasy, being caught up in my complicated relationship with Tai. But in addition to that – I had this growing idea that if I liked Matt, I would be just another one of his fan-girls, like Jun.

Matt – The guy whose happy blond head was resting on my knees at this very moment. I ruffled his hair and closed my eyes.

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Matt ----

I woke up after a nap at 6MP to find myself using Sora as a pillow. I got up and smiled at Sora, who looked like she just woke up as well. I whispered "Sorry" in her ear and looked around the room. Everything was just like before I fell asleep, with Tai on his bed and Mimi on Izzy, and TK and Kari in a corner of the room. I had meant what I said before – everyone knew TK and Kari were meant to be. I mean, it was just too obvious -- a match made in heaven or something cheesy like that. It's too bad they won't admit it, but I agreed with Tai that it'd best if they let themselves grow up a bit anyway. I mean, if they started going out now, they'd break up in a heartbeat over something trivial. And none of us wanted to see that happen.

I thought about what had happened earlier in the day. I was glad Sora started that pillow fight. I wanted to tell her that I liked her, just not in front of everyone else. I thought our personal lives should be something other than entertainment for our friends. But I was glad they thought we should be together; it confirmed that I might have had a chance with her after all. Tai gave me the most confidence, I'd say. Other than the fact that he was my best friend, he's also Sora's ex, and I was grateful that he wouldn't kill me for liking her.

Honestly, though, Tai needed to wake up and smell the pink! Mimi was all over him, and he was just oblivious. I felt bad for Izzy though; I knew he liked Mimi but was too shy to ask her out. Izzy – of the all people to like Mimi. Still, they say opposites attract.

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Tai ----

Well, that was fun. The group left after everyone woke up. It was pretty weird, seeing Matt and Sora, and TK and Kari, and Mimi and Izzy. Everyone all coupled up, and ME all alone. I need to find myself a girl. But – I can't help but think that Mimi might like me. (How can she not, I'm such a great guy). But then, it's obvious that Izzy likes _her_. What's a guy to do?

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**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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A/N: hope you like it! it's my 1st fic so review honestly :)


	2. Walking Amidst the Raindrops

Chapter 2: Walking Amidst the Raindrops

Disclaimer - I'm not fabulous enough to own Digimon.

A/N: thanks for the reviews :)

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Sora ----

Ah, Monday again. Sure, school was a bummer, but at least I got to see my friends. It was a fresh May morning, and in the air was that blissful feeling of the approaching summer. As I walked by the middle school, I waved at Kari and Yolei, who were going up the steps up to their school. No doubt Yolei was telling Kari all about her date with Ken. Well, I'd hear about it later. In the distance I could see Ken and Davis kicking around a soccer before school started. It was just like the old days.

When I came to Odaiba High, I saw Matt get out of his sleek black car and sprint out of the parking lot to avoid the usual crowd of fan girls (it didn't seem to be working). Tai followed and I ran to meet up with them.

"Hey Tai," I said. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing, Sor," he answered. "Just the usual. So how are things with you and Matt?"

"What _things_?" I dodged his question and left to join Mimi at the door.

As we walked down the hallway, there was something abuzz in the crowds. Did someone get expelled? Arrested? I brushed the issue off and went to my 1st period class. The teacher, Mrs. Redman, came in and appeared to be a bit annoyed by some preppy Student Council girls in the front of the room.

"Okay, class, these girls have an announcement to make, so pay attention."

I propped my arm on the desk and pretended to listen intently.

"Alright, fellow students, we'd like to announce that Odaiba High is going to have our annual spring dance next Friday! Guys, this is semi-formal, so you don't have to wear a tux, but a collared shirt wouldn't hurt. And girls – you can never look too good for something like this, right?" the girl giggled and winked. "Now, admission, food, and drinks are free because we're paying for the dance with money from our carnival fundraiser last month. If you want your picture taken you have to pre-order them and umm…that's all! The theme of the dance is going to be Summer Lovin'! Have fun!"

A dance, huh? That must have been what everyone was talking about. I had attended a couple of dances last year, but this was the 1st free dance Odaiba High had held. Maybe I'll go to this one, I thought. I glanced over at Mimi. She was clapping her hands and nodding at me excitedly. But…who would I go with? It's not like a date would be vital, but this sounded like one of those slow-music-lots-of-couples dances where you get completely bored without a date. I took a furtive glimpse at Matt. He was leaning back in his chair, relaxed. When my eye caught his he smiled and shrugged, mouthing "lunch" and nodding his head towards the door to the hall, signifying that he'd talk to me later. At that moment, a hundred notes were being shoved onto his desk all at once as every one of his fan girls in the class asked him to the dance. He shook his head, quietly rejecting them, and I could hear Tai choking back laughter amidst the ruffles of paper.

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Tai ----

It was hilarious to see all those girls shove themselves in front of Matt all at the same time. Not that I wasn't not used to it, but it just got funnier every time. It almost distracted me from the fact that I had to get a date for the dance, before I was stuck with someone like Jun. Just as the period ended, Matt dashed off to his next class, leaving me to walk with Mimi and Sora, and Izzy came from his homeroom class to walk with us down the hall. Almost immediately, it seemed, Mimi asked me to the dance. A bit shocking, because I thought she liked Izzy, but I accepted and didn't question it much.

After a couple more boring classes came lunch – my favorite subject! As I stood in line I turned over the thought in my head: I had a date to the dance! Well, yeah, Mimi could be a little annoying now and then, but she was basically one of my best friends. Plus she could be really cute and sweet. But above all – I had a date! Yaayyyy.

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Matt ----

I slipped away from the crowds at lunch and sought refuge in the lunch line. I saw Tai getting out of line a couple of yards away and waved.

"Guess what Matt!" he said, grinning.

"What?" I responded dully.

"_I _have a date to the dance…" I was kind of shocked when he said this, since the dance had only been announced what – 3 hours ago? .

"It's Mimi!" he said. Oh, dang, I thought. Izzy must be disappointed that Mimi was taken again.

"Are you going to ask Sora? Huh, huh, huh?" Tai pressed on, raising his eyebrows higher and higher with each syllable, until eventually they disappeared into his hair._  
Well duh_, I thought. But I had decided to wait until the right moment to ask her, and I didn't really want Tai to be there when I did.

"Considering it," I brushed off his question. When I finally got out of the line and stared down and the dismal lunch before me, I went to our regular table and sat down. Mimi chattered excitedly while Tai listened, and Izzy looked on quietly. Sora was listening uncomfortably to a freshman, Mike, as he asked her to the dance. I could tell that she wanted to reject him but was afraid of breaking his heart, so I butted in.

"Hey Sor," I said and put my arm around her. "Sorry bud, but she's taken." I smiled at the kid. Dejectedly, he walked away.

"Thanks, Matt," Sora said, relieved. Did I detect a bit of something else in her voice?

A girl from the next table ran up. "Did I just hear that you guys were going to the dance together? 'Cause if not, Matt, will you go with me?"

"My turn," whispered Sora. "Oh, sorry Jen, you heard it right, Matt's going to the dance with me." The girl scoffed and turned her back. The disappointment didn't bruise her for long, since she tapped a senior on the shoulder and got another date within seconds.

"Astonishing," Sora said. "Anyway, now we're even. Is there a special someone you're planning on taking to the dance?"

"Actually, yeah." Was this the right time to ask her? I decided not and changed the subject, concentrating on keeping my voice casual. "So, Mimi and Tai are going together right?"

"Surprisingly, yes," she answered.

Tai overheard and interjected, "What do you mean 'surprisingly,' Sora?!" he joked. "Mimi and I are totally meant for each other."

"Well, Tai, we can't really be sure about that, can we?" Izzy suddenly retorted, and strode off.

"What's got into him?" asked Tai. "I was just kidding."

"Oh, don't mind him," said Mimi. "He's probably just stressed out about a test or something."

I looked at Sora. We both knew it was something more than that, but neither of us said anything to Tai or Mimi.

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Izzy ----

I didn't know why I stormed off like that. I must have seemed completely transparent to them all. Tai was only joking, too. The thing is – I couldn't stand losing Mimi to Tai again. I didn't really blame Tai – its not like he planned it just so I could be miserable. But that morning, I had fully intended to ask Mimi to the dance as soon as I heard of it. Tai just got to her first. Well maybe not, because _she_ was the one that asked _him_ out. It seemed like she really likes him, but it could have just been a temporary whim or something. But now I was stuck dateless, and Tai has Mimi. Great. Just great.

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TK ----

Okay, so the day after our little gathering I went to school with everyone else. I saw Yolei and Kari on the steps up to Odaiba Secondary and ran to catch up. Waving to Davis and Ken (who were playing soccer), I entered the school and dropped off my backpack at my first period class before going to the quad to hang out.

I met up again with Kari and Yolei, who were still talking about Yolei's date with Ken.

"Hey Kari," I said. "Did you hear about the field trip we're having next week?"

"Oh yeah," said Yolei. "We're going to the park for an 'end-of-the-year' picnic, right?"

At that moment, Davis came running into the quad, with Ken following. "Hi Kari!" said Davis. Kari waved and giggled as Ken and Yolei greeted each other quietly, turning red.

Not noticing, Davis kept going. "I just whooped Ken at soccer. His game was REALLY off today." This made Ken blush an even deeper shade of red (if that was possible), and Kari and I tried, in respect to Ken, to stifle our laughter. The bell rang as the sky began to drizzle rain. The morning was going surprisingly well so far...

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Matt ----

I couldn't believe it. As soon as school ended, the light drizzle turned into a heavy downpour. I walked through the parking lot to where my car was and started it up. The hood was down, but luckily my particular parking space was under the cover of a large white canopy for some school event or another. However, as if the universe were poking fun at me, the hood got jammed somehow. I couldn't bear to bring my car out into the rain with the leather interior exposed! The administration wouldn't mind if I left it there overnight, would they? I decided to find some other mode of transportation. But what other options did I have? I couldn't walk home, and I couldn't call my dad to pick me up… And then I saw Sora walking by with an umbrella, and I realized that she lived within walking distance of the school.

I ran to catch up with her in the rain and slipped under her umbrella. "Can I come to your place, Sora?" I asked, hoping for a positive answer.

"Unwilling to bring your baby into the rain?" she laughed. I doubt that I loved my car enough to call it my 'baby,' but that was the case.

"Oh, come on, the hood's stuck."

"Alright, fine. But you owe me." And I knew just how to pay her back.

The umbrella, as we soon realized, was a little too small for both of us. And with me being the kind gentleman, I got the worse case of it. So by the time we reached the Takenouchis' I was pretty much drenched. Sora laughed as we entered the apartment and she got me a towel. As I slowly dried she warmed up some pizza and made a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Seeing her like this reminded me of the old days when we were stuck in the digital world and she took care of us all. It made me feel…at home. And on a sudden impulse, I said it.

"Sora, will you go to the dance with me?" See, no big deal, I convinced myself. Or was it? Yes, it was; this was Sora! I was a fool. Of course she'd say no! How could I think she'd ever agree to something as absurd as this? She was so out of my league. What was wrong with me? She was going to laugh at me. This was the end of our friendship. No! It was ok, I could pretend I was just kidding and that I wasn't actually some kind of huge idiot. Which she now thought I was. Ugh, how could I have done this? A _huge idiot_! The thoughts raced through my head as I watched her expression change from one of surprise to one of... well, something else.

"Sure, Matt. I was wondering when you'd ask." She smiled and handed me a slice of pepperoni pizza. For the rest of the afternoon we kind of just muddled around-- doing homework, talking, hanging out. Happy.

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**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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A/N: hope you liked it! review!


	3. Boredom is Nothing

Chapter 3 – Boredom is nothing

Disclaimer - Digimon does not belong to me; however, its owners can learn how to share.

A/N: sorry for the delay...finals and weird end of the year projects and all that stuff.

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Kari –

Hooray! We're going to have an end of the year field trip next Friday! Okay, so next Friday's not really the end of the year but it'll be the 1st week of June, and around then we won't be doing anything in class anyway. Monday morning, the word spread through the eighth grade that a field trip was being planned, and I heard some of the wildest things. A kid in my class started all these random rumors about going boating and hunting mountain lions. As if. It was just going to be one of those nice, "quiet" picnics down at the park. We'd be given the freedom to do "whatever we wanted" as long as we didn't cause any disturbances. When we had these things last year, Davis would always end up kicking a soccer ball in the back of a teacher's head or something, and the rest of us would watch (and laugh) as he was told off. So sad.

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Yolei –

Friday, at last! The last week of May totally droned on ever since that first day, when I told Kari about my date with Ken and she caught me up on the last Digidestined "meeting." I wish I had been there for the pillow fight, but after some thought, the whole thing sounded very "first-generation"-Digidestined-ish. Besides, my date with Ken was great.

Ken's such a gentleman! I mean, he's so old-fashioned and nice – no wonder he has the crest of kindness. Anyway, he picked me up at my house, and we walked to the park and talked and stuff like that. It's so weird; I never got to reflect on last year and all the hectic things I'd been through until then. I couldn't believe a year ago he was still the Digimon Emperor... and that a little while before that I didn't even know the digital world existed!

It was so great to just talk through it all, remembering. But I was kind of disappointed that we missed the gathering at Tai's house. I definitely plan on going to the next one!

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(Omniscient Narrator) -

It was Saturday, once again, at the Kamiya house. Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, Kari, TK, Yolei, and Davis were there.

"Where's Ken?!" shrieked Yolei. "He said he was coming..."

"Who cares? Kari's here!" Davis exclaimed.

Kari giggled and made a face.

"I guess Izzy's not gonna show up, then, is he?" Sora said quietly to Matt.

"He's probably still stewing," replied Matt. "I never thought he'd get so mad over Mimi and Tai."

"Tai and Mimi seem oblivious to the fact that Izzy likes Mimi," TK said, joining their conversation.

"I don't blame them," said Sora. "They're caught up in their own little drama."

"Hey, you two are going to the dance together, aren't you?" TK asked.

"Shut up," Matt told his brother. "And how'd you find out anyway?"

"From Tai," answered TK. Matt shook his head with an air of resignation.

Kari approached, evidently trying to get away from Davis. "So…What's up?"

Davis, following Kari relentlessly, joined them. "Yeah, TA, what's up?"

"What are we all over here for?" Yolei asked.

Only Tai and Mimi were left outside of the circle. Tai seemed a little annoyed at Mimi because she kept talking about everything she bought on her last trip to the mall.

"Sora?" Tai called over. "Why don't you come and talk to Mimi instead?"

Sora laughed and went to relieve Tai.

"It's kind of sad, you know?" Sora said as she sat down next to Mimi.

"What is?"

"All that time in the digital world, we focused our thoughts on the enemy (whoever it was at that particular time) and became friends, but now that the threats are gone, we don't have much to do," Sora answered.

"I'd say that's better than going around the digital world and being in danger the whole time," said Mimi.

"We have less of a reason to all stay together, though," Sora went on. "And I guess it's not at exciting," she added.

"Says who?"

Mimi and Sora looked around the room. The main feature was Matt and Tai mercilessly and exaggeratedly reenacting one of TK's embarrassing moments for Yolei. TK tried to join in to deny the story and defend himself, but Davis was continually challenging TK to arm-wrestling matches (which TK kept winning). Davis' voice could be heard over the chatter, "Don't worry, Kari, I'll win this one for you!"

Sora looked at Mimi and laughed. "Maybe you're right."

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Matt –

Haha, that was fun. TK looked about 5 different shades of red after we told all those stories to Yolei. It's nice to be able to laugh.

Poor TK, he's being challenged and re-challenged to arm-wrestling matches by Davis. It seems that Davis is trying to get Kari's attention, but he keeps losing to TK. Anyway, now that Tai and I have finished telling our little stories, Kari seems more interested in the conversation that she's having with Yolei about the classes that they're taking next year.

Sora's over there in a corner talking to Mimi about god-knows-what and Tai's venturing in their direction, probably hoping that the shopping conversation is over. I can hear their voices above the din:

_"Hey guys. What're you talking about?" says Tai._

_"Oh nothing." Mimi answers._

_"So no more shop-talk?"_

_"Thanks for reminding me!" Mimi pipes up eagerly. "Well we're planning to go shopping tomorrow for the dance, right, Sora?"_

_"Yeah…" she answers._

That's right, Sora's going to the dance with ME and we're going to have the greatest time ever! Hahaha.

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Davis –

Yes! I finally won a match in arm wrestling against TK! Well actually, I was letting him win before so that Kari could see that I was nice enough to give up my pride so he wouldn't get upset. Uh huh… And then I told Kari I'd win this one for her… and I did! Am I great or what? Not to mention strong, and brave, and smart, and generally just much better than TK! Well, maybe I could work on the whole ego thing.

It's just that Kari's so PERFECT! She's so sweet and nice… I've loved her from the day I met her! Anyway, since I'm almost PERFECT (much more perfect than TK, at least), we're absolutely PERFECT for each other! And TK can go jump into a lake. Well, Kari would probably jump after him and save him because she's so valiant… not because she likes him or anything. Okay, she may ACT she likes him, but she's just pretending because she knows that she secretly likes ME!

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TK –

Thank god, Matt and Tai stopped reenacting all the stupid things I've done for everyone to see. And Davis finally stopped bugging me. He kept challenging to me to an arm-wrestling match because he couldn't stop losing. I finally let him win and he left me alone. He's just doing it to impress Kari, but I don't think she really likes him in that way. Maybe she likes someone else? (me? maybe, please?)

Hmm, I've been thinking about what Matt said last week. Should I ask Kari out? I've liked her for the longest time – as long as I've known her, actually. I love being around her, spending time with her. Maybe it's because we've been through so much together-- we've become such close friends. That's why I'm hesitant about asking her out, too. I'm afraid that we'll screw our relationship up, and I don't think I could take that. How could I risk our friendship simply because I want something more? And yet, how could I give up that something-more simply because I'm afraid?

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**T0 BE CONTINUED...**

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A/N: Next chap coming soon...

Need I remind you to review?


	4. Friendship and More

Chapter 4 – Friendship and More

Disclaimer -- Digimon / mine

A/N: wow its been a while...anyways, thanks for the reviews and constructive criticism :) -- especially KoumiLoccness and theladyknight for reviewing every chapter so far. I know all the facts might not be exactly accurate, but can't we disregard the tiny trivialities? (please?) ;)

so here it is:

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Sora –

It was Monday morning, once again. The day before, Mimi and I had gone shopping for stuff for the dance. I got this cute little blue dress and some matching earrings. Simple and sweet. Mimi, on the other hand, got two bags full of clothing, accessories, and multiple pairs of shoes, all of which matched her dress. Figures. Mimi was the only person fashion-savvy enough to know how to pull off wearing _two_ pairs of shoes to a single three-hour event. Haha, not that she was intending to do that, of course.

Word had spread throughout the school about me "taking" Matt Ishida off of the "eligible dates" list. I was flooded with questions like "Are you two an item now?" from various people in the halls and got glares of hatred from his fan-girls. What had I gotten myself into? Well, at least I was with Matt now. Or _was_ I? I didn't know and it threw me into some sort of a subdued panic (if that makes any sense) until lunch.

When our lunch period finally came, I found Matt and just decided to ask him outright. "Matt, are we a couple?" Matt's eyebrows raised and I saw out of the corner of my eye that Mimi and Tai had their heads bent together and that they were snickering quietly. Was this really so funny?

"Well, um… I don't really know… are we?" Matt answered. "Do you want to be?"

"I don't know…" I said hesitantly. If I said yes, then the future was unpredictable. If I said no – that would just plain suck. Well. Of course I couldn't say no. "Sure…do you?"

"I'm in if you're in." he said, shrugging. He brought his face close to mine and stared into my eyes, as if he were challenging me.

"Okay."

"Alrighty then."

"Uh huh." I continued.

"Mm hmm."

"Yup."

"That's right."

"Uh…" I had run out of things to say and started to laugh.

"Okay, you lovebirds, it's official. You're a couple." Tai interjected. He added, "And you've both gone crazy."

We all laughed and resumed eating. What fun.

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Matt –

Wow, when Sora asked if we were a couple I was just plain speechless. It's not as if I didn't predict it. I mean, all morning long I'd been shrugging off questions asking whether Sora and I were together or if we were just going to the dance as "friends." I was debating whether or not to ask her the same thing, but I guess she beat me to it. Still, I didn't know what to say. But I was kind of relieved that the whole issue was out in the open and we'd established that yes, we _were_ a couple. Sure, it was scary that we might have had a gruesome break-up and that that our friendship was on the line, but maybe the risk was worth it.

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Mimi –

Hehe, Matt and Sora were an official couple! But then another question came into the light… What about me and Tai? Well, after Sora and Matt finished eating and left, I asked Tai about our relationship. It totally came off as a define-the-relationship talk, though, which looked like it kind of freaked him out.

"Hmm… I don't know, Mimi. Let's see how great of a time we have at the dance and decide later."

Okay, yes, it was kind of disappointing that he didn't definitely want to be my boyfriend, but whatever. I agreed with him, because who knows what we'd think of each other in a week? (Well, since I'd known him for so long things probably wouldn't change, but oh well). Plus – it'd be more fun if we just went as friends because that slight awkwardness of a date would be totally eliminated. Aren't I fabulous at fighting off disappointment?

Hmm… Tai said that we'd see how GREAT of a time we'd have at the dance. Hehe, that means he thought we'd have a GREAT time.

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Kari –

The rest of the week was pretty normal, I guess. We were stuck doing some last-minute project because the teacher ran out of things to teach us. I mean, there was a week left of school, and yet we had this big class project to get to know each other better. Isn't that something that you're supposed to do in the first week of school? Well, it was pretty easy, so I wasn't complaining. All we had to do is talk to everyone in the class and find out a couple of things about them that we didn't discover throughout the whole year. By Friday, the day of our field trip, I still had a couple more people to talk to. Davis and TK.

What was I supposed to find out about Davis? He didn't exactly keep his thoughts to himself. I mean, it was hard even not to know what he'd eaten for breakfast that morning. And then what about TK? I'd known him since 2nd grade, and well-- that's a whole long time to get to know someone. And if there were any secrets he was keeping that were so secret that I didn't know them, he probably wouldn't tell me because of some lousy school project.

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**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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A/N: review! reviews are one of my many motivations :)

alright...hopefully i'll post the next chapter sooner than usual :D


	5. Interruptions

Chapter 5 – Interruptions

Disclaimer -- Have yet to complete my takeover of Digimon; it still is not mine.

A/N: My friend has recently brought to my attention that I didn't accept anonymous reviews -- just letting you know that now I do :D

Just updating before harry potter comes out because I'll be preoccupied for the next few days :)

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Davis –

It was Friday, the day of our field trip to the park for an end of the year picnic. I think the teachers foresaw that we'd only be watching movies for the rest of the year, so they decided to something different so we wouldn't get bored to death. Sometime around Wednesday all the desks in the classrooms had been put away in storage for next year, and we had all been sprawled on the floor, watching some lousy movie or documentary we had already watched that year.

When I got to school that morning, I had the feeling that the day would be different than all the class trips we'd taken before (the ones where I got in trouble for doing something or the other). I was a bit early that day, but wide awake and ready for some soccer. When I got down to the field though, no one was there. _Where's Ken?_ I thought. He was usually there, even if no one else was, and I could always rely on him for a one-on-one match.

I turned around and searched the edges of the field. Not a person in sight. But then I spotted someone beneath a tree on the far side of the field. I crept up, behind some bushes, to see who it was. And to my great surprise, it was Ken - and he wasn't alone. He had his arm around Yolei and they sat, talking about random things in the world and just basking in the sunlight. Not wanting to intrude, I turned around to leave them alone, but of course, my luck is never that good when I'm trying to be quiet and unnoticed. I stepped on a twig and it snapped loudly.

"Huh?" Yolei said. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah," answered Ken. "I'll go check it out. Is someone there?" He stuck his head behind the bushes and spotted me quickly. "Davis? What are you doing here?"

"DAVIS!" said Yolei. Oh great. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? YOU SNEAK, I'M GOING TO GET YOU!"

"What?" I said. "It was an accident! It's not like I saw you two doing something."

"AAAGGGH!" screamed Yolei. "Youuuu… argh! DAVIS!"

"Well, SORRY." I answered. Gosh, she was making such a big deal out of it. I left them alone to their crazy, deeply-in-like talk and went back to the main building of Odaiba Secondary.

I entered the quad and saw Kari talking to TK in front of our classroom. Immediately I ran towards them to interrupt their conversation. Who knew what they were talking about? Well it turns out that they were only discussing the lame-o project we have to do. I told them about what had just happened down on the field.

Kari laughed. "You have no respect for anyone, do you?" she said.

"Of course I do!" I countered. "I respect my parents, Tai, you, and… a whole lot of other people!"

Kari, blushing, chuckled and turned toward the classroom. "Come on, we should go inside," she said, changing the subject. TK and I followed. Stupid TK.

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Kari –

We arrived at the park in somewhat of an orderly fashion, considering that almost the whole grade was there. Of course, certain "delinquents" had to be detained for not turning in all their textbooks or something. Trivial things like that ruled the minds of the administration.

Well anyway, the park was flooded with people -laughing, talking, eating, and all that good stuff. Summer had already settled in the minds of our classmates…and teachers. A group of staff members and chaperones sat in the shade of a great oak tree, surveying the students, but laughing and gossiping amongst themselves (like real people, not those strict and uptight robots who dole out essays for the sheer enjoyment of torturing others). Davis, Ken, and some other boys in the class immediately started kicking around a soccer ball. TK, Yolei, and I joined them for a while, but at some point we got tired out and settled down in the sanctuary of a nearby tree.

"Hey, Kari," Yolei said, her eyes growing wide. "That guy over there is staring at you!"

"Who? That cute guy with the light brown hair?" I said, turning a bit red. He WAS looking at me. _How creepy!_ I thought.

TK's face looked grim. What was up with him? Somewhere, in a little corner of my mind, I thought (or I wished) that maybe he was jealous.

"Well," he said. "He's walking away now. I wonder why he's not at school."

"Hmm, well, I don't think he goes to _our_ school.Maybe his school already let out?" Yolei suggested. "Ooh, maybe he's ditching classes."

"Yeah, maybe. He sure looks the part," I added, concluding our conversation about this stranger. "Oh, I just remembered, TK. I still have to find out some things about you that I don't know already," I brought up the project.

"Really?" said Yolei. "I finished that assignment ages ago. Well, I'll leave you two alone." She laughed and left us to join a group of chatty girls.

"Umm…so - what don't I know about you?" I asked.

"Well, you pretty much know everything about me. How 'bout we just tell the teacher that you know the inner depths of my soul and leave it at that?" He suggested, chuckling. "What did you find out from Davis this morning? Maybe we can get some ideas from that."

"Good idea," I answered. "Well, he told me his middle name and his favorite band."

"Oh. Well that doesn't help much because you know that stuff about me too. You know my favorite food, my greatest fear, my favorite color, the toothpaste I use..." TK exclaimed.

"Actually, I don't really know your favorite color. What is it, blue?" I asked.

"Finally something you don't know. It's actually green (A/N: Well he wears it a lot…)," he said.

"Okay, one fact down," I said, writing it down in my school notebook. "What else is there?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment something hit me hard in the back.

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TK –

"Ow!" Kari exclaimed, turning around. I could see Davis behind her with the soccer ball, chuckling nervously.

"Sorry, Kari," he said, but he was too late, Kari was already approaching him and had begun hitting him with her notebook.

"It was accident! I swear!" he put his hands up.

Kari whacked his head one last time, laughing, and came back to sit with me.

"At least he didn't hit a teacher this time. He gets in trouble for it every year," she said. "Anyway, back to the assignment. Isn't there ANYTHING about you that I don't know?

"Well you told me your greatest ambition and your favorite flavor of ice cream…"

"But I know you want to be a writer and that you love strawberry ice cream!"

I sighed. We sat in silence for a few minutes. _There IS one thing she doesn't quite know about me_, I thought. But did I want to tell her just yet?

"Well…" I began.

"Yeah? Did you think of something?"

"I guess, but I don't really know how you'll react…"

"Oh come on, TK," she said. "You know you can tell me anything."

I was still hesitant.

"Well, what is it?"

"Kari, I-- "

And right then, of course, Davis just had to lose control of his aim.

"Davis!" Kari exclaimed. "Why you…" and she began her attack on him once again.

"—love you…" I finished the statement, though there was no one to hear it.

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**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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A/N: mayhaps i'll get more reviews this chapter...

Next chapter is the dance! Stay tuned :D


	6. Finally Here

Chapter 6 – Finally here

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of the related characters :)

A/N: Sorry it's been such a really long time since I've posted. Thanks for the reviews :)

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Sora –

It was finally the day of the dance! After school ended, we had about 3 hours before the dance started. Mimi came over and we got ready, getting dressed and doing our hair and all that fun girl stuff. We had a small 5-minute window before the guys arrived, and Mimi took this time to tell me how glad she was that Matt and I had finally gotten together.

"You don't know how LONG we've been waiting for you two to admit that you like each other…" she began. "Tai and the others were even going to bet on how long it would take – "

"What?" I exclaimed. Had my love life been entertainment for them or something?

" – But I said that your personal life shouldn't just serve to amuse them."

I sighed with relief. "Thanks, Mimi."

"Of course!" she answered. "Anyway, you and Matt are so cute together!"

"His fan girls don't seem to think so." I said skeptically.

"Oh, don't let them get to you. They're just a bunch of jealous freaks," she reassured me. "I'm surprised that they haven't tried to break you two up yet."

"Hopefully they never will," I said, as the doorbell rang.

Mimi answered it. Tai was standing in front, with Matt behind him.

"Hey, gorgeous," Tai said.

"You don't look too bad yourself!" she laughed. Taking his hand, she went with him to the car.

Matt stepped up to the door, smiling.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks," I answered. I could feel my face flushing. "You look awesome too."

We stood in silence for a moment, until Tai yelled from the car, "You know, the dance is TODAY…"

Matt and I snapped out of our own little world, and I saw Tai and Mimi snickering at us yet again.

Matt chuckled and put his arm around me as he walked me towards the car.

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Matt –

I looked to my right, where Sora sat. I would have given her some flowers or a corsage or something, but never got the chance to go out and buy any that afternoon. The reason being that encountered a very disheartened TK standing outside the door to my apartment. It was a rare occasion when he'd show up there, so I thought it must be important. He just said sadly that he'd given up on Kari, and that Davis could have her. I thought it wasn't the time to ask him if he'd gone crazy, so I just hung out with him for a while until Tai came over when it was time to pick up the girls.

Anyway, I knew that some freshmen would be selling flowers at the dance so I figured I'd buy some there and give them to Sora at the end of the dance.

As I drove the short distance to the school, I remembered that rainy day not too long ago, when the same car I was driving now was the reason that I walked home with Sora and was presented with the opportunity to ask her to the dance. Smiling, I glanced at Sora once more and pulled into the school's parking lot.

The school was alive with music and laughter, unlike the stony gray world it was during the day. Tai, Mimi, Sora, and I entered the gym (where the dance was taking place) just as the dance was starting. Since none of us had eaten yet, we made our way to the tables where the refreshments were laid out.

Tai immediately hoarded half of the food that was there and brought it to one of the empty tables. I grabbed some chips and soda for Sora and I, and sat down next to Tai with a sigh.

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Sora –

After a quick snack (well actually Tai ate enough to be meal), more people had started to arrive and the gym was getting more and more lively with people talking and eating and dancing.

I took Matt's hand. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure," he answered.

We moved out to the middle of the dance floor. "Everytime" by Simple Plan (A/N: don't own this either… it's just what I'm listening to right now :D) was playing, which could have been both a fast and a slow song, so it was a bit awkward. But the mood of the evening wasn't exactly that slow-song romantic feeling just yet, so, like everyone around us, we just danced.

After a few more songs, we were both a bit tired out, so we went back to the table where Mimi and Tai had been. I sat down and saw Tai and Mimi at the very center of the room, dancing their hearts out. I think everyone around them was a bit freaked out, seeing as how crazily they were moving. In fact, the people around them seemed to be maintaining a five-foot radius, for fear of getting hit by a wild limb.

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Mimi –

Whoo! Tai and I were having so much fun…but I think we were scaring everyone around us. Well, we lasted about 10 songs, but after that we were pretty much worn out. That's how all dances went. We eat, we dance and get tired, we eat again, and then the slow dances come at the end.

So it was during this second eating phase when we all retired to our old table to just hang out. We laughed and talked, and greeted friends that were dancing nearby. A couple of times I even saw Izzy standing shyly on the side. I wasn't really sure about how I felt about Izzy just then. He'd been avoiding me (and the rest of the group, for that matter) ever since the dance was announced. I was partly _extremely annoyed_ at him, and partly sympathetic, though I didn't really know what was bugging him so much. But he just looked so pitiful…why had he come anyway? He wasn't dancing, or talking, or laughing, or really having fun at all.

So I left my other friends for a while and went to talk to Izzy.

"Hey, Izzy," I greeted him, trying to be pleasant and to keep my annoyance from showing.

"Hi."

"You don't look like you're having fun," I said.

"I don't even know why I came…"

"Well, at least there's free food." I could feel my smile starting to fade from my face.

"Yeah," he shrugged. I sighed exasperatedly and left him alone for the time being, since he was being so gloomy.

As I returned to the table, I saw that Matt and Sora were just about to make a return to the dance floor. Tai was sitting contentedly at the table, having finished his final piece of pizza.

"They look happy, don't they?" he said, nodding towards Matt and Sora.

"Yeah, they do."

We were silent for a few moments. It was then that I realized that Tai and I didn't really have anything in common. Bringing Sora and Matt together had brought us together, but now that Sora and Matt were happy, we didn't have much to say to each other. Tai could be my best friend, my fellow conspirator, my date – just not my boyfriend. There was someone else out there that better fitted both of us.

And at that exact moment, Tai's head turned towards the door.

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Tai –

Something had caught my eye near the door of the gym. I turned my head to look, and I was absolutely stunned. The most beautiful girl I'd ever seen was standing alone at there. Why did she come so late after the dance had started? I wondered. And did she have a date?

I blinked to make sure that this image wasn't just some dream. Who was she? I wanted so badly just to meet her, to talk to her, to dance with her.

I looked at Mimi. I knew she knew what I was thinking.

"Go," she said with a quiet smile.

"I'm sorry, Meems."

"It's okay."

"Mimi…" I said.

"It's okay, really!"

Taking her blessing I approached the door and this potential girl of my dreams.

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Mimi –

Tai left, with my permission, to meet this beautiful stranger. So I sat alone at the table, watching the happy couples around me dance to the music. But someone behind me tapped me on the shoulder.

"Izzy!" I said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"This is ridiculous, Mimi," he sighed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I like you, okay? And for as long as I can remember, you've liked Tai. But he's just not the right guy for you! Look, where is he now? He's over there, dancing with some other girl. And I know you gave him permission and all, but you're still not happy!"

I was shocked by his sudden revelation.

"You deserve to be happy, Mimi. And being with Tai is clearly not making you happy. Please, just… dance with me."

My eyebrows high and my spirits higher, I responded, _"_Al_right,_ Izzy. All you had to do was ask."

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Sora –

Matt's eyes stared so deeply into mine as we swayed together on the dance floor, that neither of us had to speak a word to understand what the other was thinking. We were lost together in the same world, unaware of the people and noise around us. The entire world fell away as I stared at those soft blue orbs that were glowing back at me.

I wished that this moment would last forever, suspended in time. But the song ended and the music reverted to a more upbeat rock, and I was awakened from this dreamlike trance. Glancing at Matt again, who gave me a small smile, I accustomed myself to this new tempo. I looked around the room, having been pulled back mentally to the gym, which was, of course, full of people. The table where we had been sitting was empty. Had Mimi and Tai decided to start dancing again? I craned my neck, scanning the room with my eyes.

There was Tai with his arms around the waist of a stranger. She was certainly a pretty girl — Tai seemed absolutely captivated by her — but she definitely wasn't Mimi. In fact, I didn't even know this girl. I didn't remember seeing her around the school or in any of my classes… she was a complete stranger to me. Who was she? And where was Mimi?

Then I saw on the edge of the dance floor that Mimi and Izzy were dancing together. Grinning, I nudged Matt and pointed at them.

"I guess Izzy finally got the nerve to ask Mimi to dance," he said.

"They are so cute together! Mimi looks so different than when she was doing that crazy dance with Tai in the middle of the floor," I said. "And look, Tai seems different too, with that girl over there."

Matt smiled at me and sighed contentedly. "Let's go outside," he said.

He led me out of the gym. We walked up a long ramp to a balcony by the library. The stars had already come out in the now darkened sky, and a light summer-like breeze floated past us.

"I'm so relieved to get away from all the noise," he said.

"You always did like sitting alone in the dark and silence," I answered.

He sighed again. "Sora, did I tell you yet how beautiful you are and how happy I am to be here with you?"

"I'm sure you have," I said, chuckling. "I'm just glad that after all these years you finally noticed me."

"What are you talking about, Sora? I've always noticed you. You've just never noticed that some teen rockstar was noticing you."

Laughing, I looked up at him once more. A smile was creeping onto his face…

He touched my cheek tenderly and brought his face close to mine. Very, very close; I could see the fine details of the skin on his face. He had such nice pores.  
Before I knew it our lips were tightly locked in a kiss. Our first kiss.

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**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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A/N: whew! done with that chapter. please review :)


	7. Miscommunication

Chapter 7 – Miscommunication

Disclaimer -- As much as I like Digimon, I don't have the willpower or the $$ to buy rights to it.

A/N: sorry it's been so long since my last update. I've actually had this chapter written for quite a while but haven't posted it... I don't really know if I'm going to continue this story. I'm not really into it anymore. sorry guys :(

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Sora --

We remained there in the darkness for quite some time. After the moon had risen and the sky had faded almost completely, Matt said, "I guess we'd better go back inside."

He led me back to the excitement of the gym, where everyone was glowing with music and laughter. As we settled at the table again, I glanced at Mimi and Izzy, who were still dancing the night away. Izzy looked happier than I'd seen him in a long time… as if his dreams had finally come true. Perhaps all of our dreams had come true in this one night.

Tai was approaching the table, but alone. His mystery girl seemed to have disappeared.

"Hey guys, where've you been?" he asked.

"Outside," I responded.

"You are positively glowing, Tai," said Matt, grinning. "Who was that girl you were dancing with earlier?"

"Oh, you know - the girl of my dreams!" Tai laughed. "Funny, smart, beautiful…"

"How come I've never seen her before?" I wondered.

"Yeah, what's her name?"

"Uh…" Tai's face suddenly adopted a semi-shocked, semi-puzzled expression.

Matt laughed. "You didn't find out her _name,_ Tai?"

Tai gave a sheepish chuckle, his eyes still wide and surprised, and immediately tried to change the subject. "Oh, look, there's Mimi and Izzy!"

"Hey guys!" said Mimi. "What did I miss?"

"Tai's found himself a Cinderella," I answered. "Haha…"

I trailed off as I witnessed what was going on in Tai and Izzy's faces. Izzy furrowed his brow for a moment, thinking, then outstretched his hand towards Tai. It seemed so very much like Izzy – a reserved and subtle way to apologize… yet so frank and easy to comprehend. Tai cocked one eyebrow and hesitated a moment. A couple of years ago he'd gone through this same situation… having to be mature and just step aside. I don't know if I could have done that, but Tai was much too noble to be selfish and become angry with Izzy for taking Mimi away from him. Besides, there was still Cinderella.

Tai shook Izzy's hand and slapped him on the back. (A/N: you know… that thing that guys do. Can't really describe it ).

"Alright, now that we're all civil again," said Matt, "I think I'll disappear for a second and come back with a little something for you, Sora."

I was puzzled by this, but before I could open my mouth to speak, Matt had flashed me a grin and disappeared

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Matt –

I left Sora and the rest of the group finally to seek out a freshman selling flowers. There were less than 20 minutes of the dance left, and unless I hurried all the flowers would be sold out. Near a punch table, I saw the freshman that had asked Sora out to the dance that one Monday. He was peddling a small bouquet of flowers, but it seemed that nobody wanted to buy any.

"Hey, kid," I said. "Can I have some?"

"Oh, it's you, Ishida," he said in a rude tone. I wasn't very used to people being rude to me, the celebrity that I was. I guess he was still mad that Sora came to the dance with me instead of him.

"Uh, yeah," I answered, wanting to get this over with. Who cared if some kid was mad at me? I just wanted to get back to Sora quickly. "So? Will you sell me some flowers?"

"Alright. 50 cents for three."

I reached into my pocket… but I couldn't seem to find my wallet. The only things there were my driver's license and a paperclip.

"Oh shoot. I don't have any money. Can I have one for free?" I chanced. "I'll do anything."

"_Anything?_" the freshman's face portrayed a sly smile.

"Well not _anything,_" I replied, a little fazed. From his expression, "_anything"_ probably wasn't very pleasant.

"Okay, well I just need a small favor. I'll give you the whole bouquet if you do it. I've been trying to get rid of it for a while."

"Thanks, man!" I said. "Wait…what do you need me to do?"

"Okay, see that girl over there? That's Cecilia. She said she'd go out with me when I could get Matt Ishida to dance with her," he said. "I don't think she was being serious, but do you think you could…?"

I looked in the direction he pointed. There was a slim blonde laughing with some friends.

I sighed skeptically. "Fine, uh… Mike."

I went over to where Cecilia was. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Care to dance?"

"Aaaagh! Yes, I do!" she shrieked delightedly. "I do, Matt!"

Stifling a laugh, I led her to the dance floor as she giggled and squealed some more. That Mike kid owed me. Big time.

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Sora –

A while after Matt had left, the freshman – Mike --that had asked me to the dance approached the table where I was sitting.

"May I have this dance? Just this once? I have something to tell you."

I agreed, though hesitantly.

"So, what'd you want to tell me?" I asked.

He drew a sharp intake of breath. "There's no easy way to say this… but Matt doesn't really like you."

"What?"

"It was all a bet. He was paid to take you to the dance… that kiss you had tonight got him a wad of cash."

We stopped dancing. I looked at him at disbelief. "Matt wouldn't… he didn't…"

"I'm sorry, Sora, but it's true. The person he really likes is that girl, Cecilia. See? He's dancing with her right now," he said.

I looked over where Matt was. It was true! He was dancing with a tall, skinny, blonde girl and looked genuinely amused. How could this be? All the things he had said… and he was supposed to be one of my best friends!

"I don't believe you," I said to Mike.

"Ask him yourself," he replied. He handed me some flowers. "Here. For you."

Numbly, I took the flowers. This was ridiculous. Matt wouldn't do such a thing… would he?

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Matt –

I had just finished dancing with that girl when I saw Mike giving Sora the flowers. "I see Mike delivered the flowers himself," I laughed as I neared Sora.

"He told me everything," she said, with an odd tone in her voice. "About the deal and Cecilia and everything."

"Really? I'm glad. Saves me some talking," he said. "I must say… as horrible as it was for me – it was worth it." Of course. Just to see a smile on her face was worth being squealed at by Cecilia for a whole day. But… why wasn't she smiling now? Instead, her face blanched for a second, then it reddened in fury.

"What!" she screamed. I could feel faces turning from all over the room to look our way. "You mean… it's true! I – I – Matt Ishida, I cannot _believe_ you!"

She stormed off through the gym doors. All the chatter in the room suddenly fell silent. In a moment, whispers of gossip sprung up from all the corners of the gym.

Mimi rushed over amidst the hushed whispers. "What did you do, Matt?" Not waiting for an answer, she rushed off out the doors after Sora.

I stood there -- absolutely bewildered, unaware of the eyes of all the people in the gym on me -- still staring at the spot where Sora had been standing only moments before.

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**TO BE CONTINUED...** i think.

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A/N: hmm... after editing the chapter and rereading it i actually think i might continue to write this story. maybe :)


	8. An End to the Evening

Chapter 8 – An End to the Evening

Disclaimer-- Digimon belongs to somebody else.

A/N: I was gripped suddenly a few days ago to finish (or to continue, at any rate) this fic from a couple of years ago. Rereading it, I was kind of mortified with the kinds of mistakes & typos I made before, so I went back and tried to change/fix/improve as much as I could.  
And then it seemed awfully cruel to cut off the story at the main conflict, so here's the next installment. We'll see how it goes.

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Sora –

I flung myself out of the gym, where everyone was probably having a laugh at my idiocy. How could I let myself fall for a guy who would rather have a wallet full of cash than, I don't know, be decent? Furious with myself, I ran out into the parking lot and down the street. I was halfway to my house when Mimi caught up with me.

"Sor? Are you okay?"

Of course I wasn't okay! But Mimi didn't know what was going on, I guessed, so I tried not to lash out at her. I could only let out a wispy gasp. We were silent until we were back at my house. I sat on the doorstep.

"C'mon, Sor, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm so sorry, Mimi, I've ruined your night too. You shouldn't have come." I wanted to explain, I wanted her sympathy, but I couldn't find the words or even a starting place to tell her what was going on in my head.

"Of course not, Sora. Please, tell me what's going on. Did Matt do something?"

A long pause, and finally I spoke. "He—it was a joke! A bet. He got money for taking me out tonight. He actually likes some blonde named Cecilia."

Mimi was surprised; she clearly had not expected something like this. "What?? Matt wouldn't do that! Who told you that? There must be a mistake."

"This freshman named Mike. He told me when we were dancing tonight. But Matt admitted it! He said it himself." I was losing control; tears started welling up in my eyes.

"Are you sure, hon?" She patted me on the back. "I can't believe it."

I was getting tired of this. The tears were streaming now, and I _really _didn't want to get angry with Mimi. "Yeah, me either," I said. "Listen, Mimi. You really don't have to do this. I kinda want to be alone for a while, get my thoughts straight. Just go back and say goodnight to Izzy and have a good evening."

She looked at me, and I was afraid for a moment that she was too sweet a person to leave me alone. But she understood, surprisingly, and said, "Okay, Sora. I'll call you first thing tomorrow, okay? Or if you want to talk before then, you know my number." She smiled reassuringly and turned to go back.

I didn't want to watch her walk away so I turned my key in the lock and went inside.

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Omniscient Narrator—

Back at the dance, Matt sat silently at the table with a soda in hand. He stared blankly at the space in front of him, not knowing what to think. Tai was next to him, and both of them were rather bewildered. Mimi had gone chasing after Sora; maybe she'd come back and have some enlightenment for them.

Hadn't the evening gone pretty well? Matt wondered. Why was Sora mad at him for bringing her flowers? Was it because of the blonde? He sighed. What had he done? He hoped this was some kind of joke.

Tai, who had remained in silent support until now, said, "Don't worry, mate. I'm sure it'll be fine. Mimi will sort it out."

Matt didn't want to say anything. He thought he might be sick. Was it because of the blonde? he wondered again. He winced as he remembered the squealing. He should have just stolen some flowers from the school grounds or something. Sora was so upset, and he wasn't even quite sure why.

Seated next to him, Tai shook his head. "Girls," he said. "They're tricky." He tried to be sympathetic, but Cinderella was still on his mind. How could he have not gotten her name? What if he never saw her again? His insides churned at the very thought. He got up. "Hey, I'm going to go get some more snacks. Be right back."

Tai walked around the gym, where quite a few couples were still enjoying the light of the dance floor. He combed the tables on the perimeter of the gym, trying to find Cinderella. Where had she gone? He was wondering if she had already left, when someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

"Cinderella!" he exclaimed, turning around. "Er—I mean, I don't seem to have quite caught your name?" Oh, he was such an idiot.

"That's a shame," she laughed. "But I guess Cinderella works."

Her comment made him relax for a moment, and he joined in with her laughter. So they would remain anonymous, he guessed.

"D'you—d'you want to dance again?" he ventured. "It's almost over, but there are probably still a couple of songs left."

She shook her head. "I have to go; it's a long ride home."

Something clicked in his mind, and he took a stab at his hunch. "You don't go to this school, do you?" His heart fell when she shook her head.

"No, I was a guest. My date bailed last minute but I decided to come check it out anyway. Y'know. I had a dress and everything."

"Right." He was at a loss for words. "So, see you around?"

She smiled. "Maybe not," she answered. Tai chuckled ruefully, and when he looked up she was gone.

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Mimi-

I made it back to the school in no time. Not only did I have to say goodnight to Izzy like Sora said, but I hoped I could catch Matt and Tai in time to try to clear up the situation.

Izzy, standing just outside the gym in the warm early-summer night, looked like he was waiting for me.

"Hey," he said softly as he saw me approaching. "I thought you'd come back. Is Sora okay?"

I didn't know how to answer. "It's a complete mess," I finally said. "I don't know where to begin. I'm so sorry I left you here."

"No way," Izzy replied. "You're helping a friend. You gonna go back inside?"

"Yeah."

"Anything I can do to help?"

I smiled, but shook my head. "It's okay, I've got it. You just go home and study for your computer science final on Monday."

"Okay." He started towards the school entrance.

"Izzy?" I whispered after him.

He turned. "Yeah?"

"I had a good time tonight."

"Me too." A pause. "Good night, Mimi."

"See you?"

He took a step towards me and gave me an assuring squeeze on the hand. "Definitely."

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Omniscient Narrator-

Matt turned the situation over and over again in his head. He could find no other fault he committed that night other than dancing with Cecilia. Somehow, though, he had a hard time imagining Sora getting upset over a small thing like that. After all, he had fan-girls all over him 24/7, surely she was used to it? It's not as if he had _liked _Cecilia, anyway, and he'd danced with her only to get flowers for Sora. He was purely at a loss for ideas. Hopefully Mimi would be back soon and they could get this straightened out.

Meanwhile, across the room, the freshman named Mike sat at a similar table, thoughtfully sipping at his Coke (A/N: Also have no ownership rights over this). He was a little bit disgruntled, having been turned down once again by the fair-haired Cecilia.

He had seen—actually, everybody had seen—Sora stomping out of the gym. Was it because of what _he'd _said? Surely she didn't really believe it, right? It had only been a little vengeful joke, a last-ditch effort, and he'd expected Matt to deny it straightaway.

He had half a mind to go up to Matt Ishida and tell him what he'd said, but on the other hand, Matt looked pretty intimidating, and Mike didn't mind _too much_ if Matt and Sora split up. Not that he really liked her, of course. It had just been a little crush, but he'd been slightly crestfallen at the rejection. Anyway, he decided, it probably wasn't his fault anyway. Probably Matt had done something stupid all by himself.

Just then, a flash of yellow on the other side of the gym caught his attention. Cecilia flipped her hair as she approached the table where Matt was sitting. Matt looked irritated.

"Hey, Matt," she said, affecting a coy tone. "Where'd your date go?"

"Gone," Matt exhaled blankly. He stood up to leave. "And if you'll excuse me, I think I'll be going now too."

He saw Mimi coming in through the doors and thought he'd better go and ask her what was going on. Just then, two stringy arms caught him around his neck and he was pulled into a tight hug by Cecilia, who planted a big, wet kiss right on his lips.

Mimi, who stood frozen in the doorway, shot him a fleeting, cold look before turning around and walking straight out of the gym.

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**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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_A/N: Hopefully it wasn't a disappointment (and hopefully also no atrocious typos). Please review.

Leaving now to get HARRY POTTER ANDTHE DEATHLYHALLOWS! ( Don't you love how I'm too excited for proper spacing?) I can't wait:)


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